Jyl Benson began her editorial career in 1990 with The Times Picayune in New Orleans and served as a regional reporter covering the southeastern United States for both The New York Times and Time magazine. She wrote Galatoire's Cookbook: Recipes & Family History from the Time-Honored New Orleans Restaurant (Random House 2005) as well as several cultural, historical, and architectural guides to New Orleans. She served as Editor-In-Chief of Louisiana Cookin’ magazine from 2009 to 2011 and founded Louisiana Kitchen & Culture magazine in 2012. Her most recent cookbook Louisiana's Tables (Great Texas Line, 2017) explores the state's culinary culture based on settlement patterns. Fun, Funky, Fabulous: New Orleans Casual Restaurant Recipes (Pelican Publishing) was released in 2015. She currently serves as a columnist and feature writer for Acadiana Profile, Louisiana Life, St. Charles Avenue and New Orleans magazines. Her weekly blog “Side Dish” is sent to 40,000 readers weekly via myneworleans.com. She lives in Uptown New Orleans with her husband and four needy dogs.